Abstract

Urban commuting in contemporary societies is increasingly marked by heightened stress frustration and aggressive behaviors commonly referred to as road rage. Though often examined through psychological or criminological lenses road rage is equally a sociological phenomenon rooted in the urban experience structural inequalities and shifting cultural norms. This paper explores the sociology of road rage in the context of Indian metropolitan cities analyzing the intersection of traffic congestion class tensions spatial contestation masculine identities and the loss of public civility. Drawing from in-depth interviews with commuters field observations media content analysis and secondary data the research reveals that road rage is not merely a reaction to poor infrastructure or individual temperaments but a symbolic expression of frustration powerlessness and social dislocation in a fast-paced urban environment. The findings underscore the role of urban planning economic pressures anonymit